Modular screw press

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10457008-B2
Application number	US-201515303996-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2015
Priority date	Apr 22, 2014
Publication date	Oct 29, 2019
Grant date	Oct 29, 2019

Abstract

A screw press includes a filter casing having inlet and outlet sections and a filter section therebetween. A screw is mounted in the casing for conveying a solid-liquid mixture from the inlet section to the outlet section while compressing the solid-liquid mixture and forcing at least part of a liquid content thereof to be expelled out of the filter casing. The casing and the screw are of modular construction. The filter section has at least first and second serially interconnectable filter sections, and the screw has at least first and second serially interconnectable screw sections respectively disposed in the first and second filter sections for joint rotation as a unitary component. The first and second screw sections have a continuous screw flight having a flight outside diameter. The first and second screw sections are detachably coupled to one another by a coupling provided at the outside diameter of the flight.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A screw press for separating liquid from a solid-liquid mixture, said screw press comprising:
a generally tubular body having axially spaced-apart inlet section and outlet section, and a filter section between said inlet section and outlet section; said filter section having liquid passages; and
a rotatable screw mounted in said tubular body for conveying the solid-liquid mixture from the inlet section to the outlet section while compressing the solid-liquid mixture and forcing at least part of a liquid content thereof to be expelled out of the tubular body through said liquid passages of said filter section;
characterized in that the generally tubular body and the rotatable screw are both of modular construction, the filter section of the tubular body comprising at least first and second serially interconnectable filter sections, the rotatable screw having at least first and second serially interconnectable screw sections respectively disposed in said first and second filter sections for joint rotation as a unitary component, and in that the first and second screw sections have a continuous screw flight having a flight outside diameter, the at least first and second screw sections being detachably coupled to one another by a coupling provided at said flight outside diameter.

2. The screw press defined in claim 1 , characterized in that a screw support section is mounted between said first and second filter sections, said coupling being rotatably supported within said screw support section.

3. The screw press defined in claim 1 , characterized in that the coupling comprises a first coupling member mounted to a first screw flight section at a first end of the first screw section, and a second coupling member mounted to a second screw flight section at a second end of the second screw section, the first and second coupling members being detachably fastenable to one another.

4. The screw press defined in claim 3 , characterized in that the first and second coupling members comprise respective semi-cylindrical plates mounted to an outside diameter surface of the continuous screw flight on the first and second screw sections; when interconnected, the semi-cylindrical plates forming a support ring about the first and second screw flight sections.

5. The screw press defined in claim 4 , characterized in that the semi-cylindrical plates are welded on an inner surface thereof to the outside diameter surface of the first and second screw flight sections of the first and second screw sections.

6. The screw press defined in claim 4 , characterized in that a screw support section is mounted between said first and second filter sections, said coupling being rotatably supported within said screw support section, and in that wear plates are removably mounted to an outer surface of each of the semi-cylindrical plates for engagement with a corresponding segmented wear ring structure mounted in the screw support section.

7. The screw press defined in claim 6 , characterized in that the segmented wear ring structure is configured to wear out prior to the wear plates on the outer surface of the semi-cylindrical plates.

8. The screw press defined in claim 1 , characterized in that each of said first and second filter sections comprises a plurality of filtration plates axially clamped in face-to-face contact between first and second clamping plates.

9. The screw press defined in claim 8 , characterized in that each of the first and second clamping plates has a load distribution portion in uniform bearing contact with an adjacent one of said filtration plates, said first and second clamping plates being thicker than each of said filtration plates; and in that each of the first and second filter sections further comprises a set of circumferentially distributed stay bolts extending through axially aligned mounting holes defined in the filtration plates and the first and second clamping plates; and nuts threadably engaged at opposed distal ends of the stay bolts.

10. The screw press defined in claim 9 , characterized in that the load distribution portion is provided in a form of a ring projecting from an inner face of each of said first and second clamping plates.

11. The screw press defined in claim 8 , characterized in that at least one intermediate support plate is interposed between two of the filtration plates, said intermediate support plate being thicker than each of said filtration plates.

12. The screw press defined in claim 2 , characterized in that the screw support section has upper and lower half-shell members adapted to be bolted to one another with said coupling therebetween.

13. A method of forming a coupling for a screw press comprising:
a generally tubular body having axially spaced-apart inlet section and outlet section, and a filter section between said inlet section and outlet section; said filter section having liquid passages; and
a rotatable screw mounted in said tubular body for conveying a solid-liquid mixture from the inlet section to the outlet section while compressing the solid-liquid mixture and forcing at least part of a liquid content thereof to be expelled out of the tubular body through said liquid passages of said filter section;
wherein the generally tubular body and the rotatable screw are both of modular construction, the filter section of the tubular body comprising at least first and second serially interconnectable filter sections, the rotatable screw having at least first and second serially interconnectable screw sections respectively disposed in said first and second filter sections for joint rotation as a unitary component, and in that the first and second screw sections have a continuous screw flight having a flight outside diameter, the at least first and second screw sections being detachably coupled to one another by the coupling provided at said flight outside diameter,
wherein the coupling comprises a first coupling member mounted to a first screw flight section at a first end of the first screw section, and a second coupling member mounted to a second screw flight section at a second end of the second screw section, the first and second coupling members being detachably fastenable to one another, and the first and second coupling members comprise respective semi-cylindrical plates mounted to an outside diameter surface of the continuous screw flight on the first and second screw sections; when interconnected, the semi-cylindrical plates forming a support ring about the first and second screw flight sections;
characterized in that the method comprises welding the first and second screw flight sections respectively to the first and second coupling members and then, submitting the first and second coupling members with the first and second screw flight sections mounted thereon to a heat treatment process.

14. The method defined in claim 13 , wherein after the heat treatment process, the method further comprises mounting the first and second coupling members respectively to the first and second screw sections by welding the first and second screw flight sections to respective shafts of said first and second screw sections.

Assignees

• Rio Tinto Alcan Int Ltd

Inventors

• Boivin Alain
• Labrum Deane
• Simard Guy
• Vandal Pascal

Classifications

• B30B9/26

  Permeable casings or strainers · CPC title

• B30B9/121 Primary

  Screw constructions · CPC title

• B01D29/46 Primary

  of flat, stacked bodies · CPC title